McMURTRY SPÉIRLING

The rocket-shaped tram

Electric cars are like washing machines. Who has not heard such a statement? It's something quite common these days, because for some fans, switching to electricity will make the car lose its passion, lose its essence and become, basically, an 'empty' and soulless means of transport . Change often brings this sort of thing with it, and surely our grandfathers would say the same in their day. What's more, when the change from carburetion to injection was made, similar things were already being heard, like that cars would lose sportiness. Would anyone trade the injection for a carburetor today?

We'll get used to it, just as we got used to hybrids, which are currently one of the best options for a huge number of people, especially for those who travel long distances through urban environments. And if you have a charger available, a plug-in hybrid will be a blessing. Now, hybridization started its journey in 1997 and at the moment it is gaining ground among users, in other words, it takes a while for people to know its advantages.

However, there are those who want to demonstrate that electricity is the best option at the moment, even without having ever created a car before. This is the case of the McMurtry Spéirling, a car that made its first appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​and that surprised everyone both for its spectacular image and for the fact that it is an electric car that makes noise. If there's one thing that sets electric cars apart, it's the silence of their engines, but in the case of the McMurtry Spéirling it's not.

The car resembles the Batmobile and surely Batman would have it in his garage if he could afford it. And it wouldn't be for lack of money, we already know that the superhero in his public life is immensely rich, the problem is that there is only one copy, at least for now. We don't even know if I'd be able to get into the car with cape and all, as the McMurtry Spéirling is really small (3.2 meters long), but that's one of the things that makes it a really fast car.

The person responsible for this project is Sir David McMurtry, a businessman who is also passionate about technology and innovation, as well as an inventor with over 200 patents to his name. He created McMurtry Automotive in 2016 to give life to this car, whose design and development was very marked by its aerodynamics and low weight, in fact, it weighs just under 1,000 kg.

The search for good aerodynamics led to the absence of certain elements, such as aerofoils. An airfoil helps to glue the car to the ground, but it also generates resistance to progress, so other solutions were used, such as the assembly of two electric fans, or turbines, which placed behind the cabin suck the air that passes under the car. and expel it from behind, through a rear center exhaust that generates a sound of up to 120 dB. It is capable of generating 500 kilograms of lift without even moving.

The performance rests on McMurtry Spéirling. The power of its engines, which are two and are mounted on each rear wheel, was not informed, but their creators claim that the weight-to-power ratio is one kilogram per horse. Therefore, it is easy to assume that it is around 1,000 hp, with which it is capable of surpassing 320 km/h. However, the most spectacular is its acceleration, as it promises a 0 to 300 km/h in 9 seconds. By comparison, a Bugatti Chiron Super Sport needs 12.1 seconds to reach 300 km/h, but it weighs twice as much.

The battery that powers these engines is U-shaped and has a capacity of 60 kWh. It's not much if we take into account that there are electric cars with much more capacity, but it feeds less powerful engines, so it only offers between 30 and 60 minutes of autonomy at its maximum performance, always according to the weather and the track where is running (not approved for public roads). But they claim that if submitted to the WLTP approval cycle, it would have more than 480 km of autonomy. It is a figure that we can consider as good, especially considering that the company intends to bring a road version into production.

The company claims that the car will be finished for the European summer of 2022, when driving tests will begin.

Autonews